Most already have, but still time to vote today

As elections go, this is hardly a big one. But voters across Wisconsin are going to the polls today in a primary election that will determine which candidates make it to the November ballot. There are no statewide contests on today’s ballot, but there are primary races for La Crosse’s seat in Congress and a local state senate race. Turnout for most August primaries typically hover around 30%, so most people don’t bother. There may be other factors keeping people from the polls this year. The pandemic has caused a surge in absentee ballots being cast. We saw that in April, and elections officials say statewide in Wisconsin, voters requested more than 900,000 ballots. That is about seven times as many as were requested in the 2018 primary. So the good news is, if you didn’t request an absentee ballot, the voting booths shouldn’t be as crowded. Unlike in the April election, all 13 polling locations in the city of La Crosse will be open today. Great care has been taken to ensure safety, with no sharing of pens and plenty of hand sanitizer. And there will be plenty of poll workers to keep things moving thanks to the Wisconsin National Guard. Masks are not required for those casting a ballot, although poll workers and election observers will be wearing one. So if you already cast your ballot by voting early, or absentee, thank you. And if you didn’t, remember you can still vote today, and it likely won’t take very long to do so.